Teng Zijing glanced at Wang Qinian, who had been standing quietly behind Fan Xian. Sensing that his scent was different from that of the guards in the manor, he responded in a low voice. Fan Xian looked into his eyes and said in a low voice, "This is Wang Qinian. I have a part-time position in the Overwatch Council. Don't tell anyone else. " Teng Zijing's expression froze, and the way he looked at Fan Xian changed. After all, he did not think that the young master he had once wanted to follow would be able to sneak into the forbidden courtyard within a few months of entering the capital.
Fan Xian called Wang Qinian over and introduced him. "This is Teng Zijing, the one I mentioned when we met for the second time. You two should get to know each other better. He saved my life before." Hearing this, Teng Zijing's dark face turned red. He waved his hands. "Young master, you speak too seriously. Actually, it was you who saved my life that day."
Wang Qinian put his hands together and smiled. He said nothing. Like Teng Zijing, he was very satisfied with the current situation. Not only had he successfully returned to the Overwatch Council, but his monthly salary had also increased considerably. The director had even personally received him once. Ever since he had become a civil servant many years ago, it had been a long time since he had received such treatment. Although Master Fan was only an eighth-level functionary of Taichang Temple, he had a Commissioner's token on him. Apart from his own team, only the head of the Overwatch Council and Mu Tie knew about this Commissioner. No one else knew. This kind of mysterious power in his hands made him feel very comfortable.
They had wild game for dinner. Although Teng Zijing had repeatedly said that there was nothing good to eat in the country estate, the fatty meat boiling in the pot, coupled with the tender green vegetables, was incredibly delicious. Even Fan Sizhe's appetite was whetted, and he snatched the meat as if there was no one else around. Fan Xian looked at him, amused. He picked up a piece of meat and brought it to his lips. He found that the meat was very tender, but the layers of skin were clear, and it was very chewy. He couldn't help but praise it. "Is this moose, or what?"
Teng Zijing's wife, who was standing to one side, hurriedly replied, "This is white moose meat."
Hearing the words "Bai Mozi," Fan Xian froze. He placed his chopsticks in front of him as if he had forgotten to move. In this instant, he thought of a time many years ago, even longer than Danzhou. At the time, he was lying in bed, constantly thinking of eating white elk meat, and the pretty nurse teased him about his wild imagination. In his previous life, Fan Shen had never eaten white elk meat, only that it was the favorite game of his hometown. These memories seemed to have faded, and it had been a long time since Fan Xian had thought of the events of his previous life. Unexpectedly, the white elk meat today had stirred up the emotions he had hidden for a long time.
Fan Ruoruo took small bites from the side. Seeing that her brother's expression seemed a little strange, she carefully asked, "What's wrong?"
Fan Xian immediately woke up and smiled slightly. "Nothing." He turned his head to ask Teng Zijing if any of the mountain products had been preserved. After receiving a positive answer, he happily asked Teng Zijing to help him pack up a few dozen catties of meat to take back to the capital. Teng Zijing had not expected that the things he had prepared today would be to the young master's liking, and was very happy.
Fan Xian picked up his wine cup and drank with the others at the table. "Teng Zijing," he said with a smile, "you haven't fully recovered yet. You should drink less." Next to him, Fan Ruoruo looked at her brother and smiled, as if to embarrass him. Fan Xian knew that his sister had guessed what he was thinking. Apart from wanting to eat it himself, the main purpose of bringing the preserved game back to the capital was for the gluttonous Wan'er to enjoy.
After dinner, Fan Sizhe, in an extremely perverted manner, went back to his room to calculate the accounts. Fan Xian really didn't know what fun there was in calculating accounts, and how could a twelve or thirteen year old bully be able to revel in boring numbers? He could only sigh and let him be.
Refusing Teng Zijing's request to accompany him on his crutch, he led Fan Ruoruo to the edge of the field outside the courtyard. They looked at the round moon that seemed to be floating quietly among the green hills. Above their heads, the unknown trees rustled in the night wind. It was a very beautiful scene.
"The dream is still in front of the body, I suspect it is in the dream, how many people are haggard, how many people return." Fan Xian thought of the events of his previous life, and occasionally sighed with emotion. He casually recited two sentences. "Time is a passer-by for a hundred generations. Heaven and earth, the journey of all things. Life is a great dream. Sometimes I wonder if I am still lying on that bed, dreaming a dream that has lasted so long that I have yet to wake up."
He casually sighed, knowing that his sister probably didn't understand what he was saying. But he had forgotten the elegance hidden in Master Li Bai's words, and how lethal they were to a young girl. As expected … Fan Ruoruo's eyes began to shine.
Fan Xian immediately knew that he had made a mistake. With a distressed expression, he prepared to explain that other than the first two sentences, the rest had been written by a great man named Li Bai. But then he suddenly remembered that Sizhe had mocked him earlier in the day. He secretly sighed and stopped what others might think was a pretentious action, but to him it seemed very natural. He also knew that even if he said it, his sister wouldn't believe him. After all, the Overwatch Council had arrested a number of Xin Qijis, but none of them were salt smugglers who knew how to write poetry. So he simply pulled Ruoruo into his arms and looked at the moon together.
Although Fan Xian had lived in this world for more than ten years, he still retained some of his unique temperament. This temperament did not match with this world, but for him, it had great benefits. For example, the precaution between men and women, and for example, physical contact. When he held his sister, of course, there was not the slightest thought of a man and a woman, only a very pure brotherly love. On the contrary, when Fan Ruoruo was held in his arms, she felt warm and slightly shy, and naturally forgot to ask about those things.
In the distance, two members of the Overwatch Council stood under another tree like two iron rods, protecting their safety.
"Get up early tomorrow. I have business in the city." Fan Xian sniffed his sister's hair, and found it to be a faint orchid scent. He asked curiously, "What method did you use?"
Fan Ruoruo was slightly embarrassed. She didn't know what to say to her brother. "It's pear blossom water. Why are you in such a hurry?"
In this world, girls rarely washed their hair, so the smell was not very good. Even when Fan Xian and Si Lili rolled around in the same bed, it was the same. It was all covered up by the strong fragrance. Ever since Fan Xian had entered the capital, he had shamelessly asked Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan 'er to wash their hair often. He even gave them the shower head and wooden bucket design he had made in Danzhou for free. Ruoruo and Wan 'er couldn't dissuade him, so they did as he asked. They didn't expect the effect to be so obvious. It immediately spread throughout Fan Manor and the royal courtyard. Now even Lady Liu washed her hair more frequently.
"Father should be very happy." This was Fan Xian's unspoken reply. He then replied to Ruoruo, "The capital is quieter in the morning. I have a place to go. You come with me, and the others don't need to follow."
Knowing that her brother trusted her, Fan Ruoruo was very moved.
Fan Xian then said, "Tomorrow I have to go to Qingyu Hall to take a look. Shopkeeper Ye and I have discussed it. The capital has been relatively quiet lately, so it's a good time to go and see." The shopkeeper of Qingyu Hall lived up to his reputation. Fan Sizhe was in charge of planning the accounts, and Shopkeeper Ye was in charge of implementing them. Danbo Bookstore's business was doing better and better. Relying on his family's wealth and his official background, he had managed to take over all of the other booksellers on the neighboring streets within two months. Recently, he had slowly extended his reach to the neighboring counties.
"Is the tofu shop still open?" Fan Ruoruo suddenly thought of a small matter. "The Crown Prince is interested in the soy milk you bring to the manor every day. He's afraid that he won't be able to drink it someday. Doesn't he always tell you to open it?"
Fan Xian smiled. "I'm about to become a man who earns hundreds of thousands of silver a day. Why would I care about that tofu?" Of course, this was just a naughty joke. He continued, "Whenever you have time, you can do it. You don't have anything to do right now anyway, so you can find something to do." In his mind, there was no such thing as a young lady not being able to show her face in public, much less take care of a tofu shop. He just felt that if Ruoruo read and wrote poetry every day, she wouldn't become stupid.
Fan Ruoruo was a little embarrassed, but she still agreed.
Fan Xian thought of something important and frowned. Holding his sister's shoulders with both hands, he said seriously, "Ruoruo, although it seems to me that you're only 15 or 16 years old, and it's still too early for you to get married. But the atmosphere in the capital really isn't good. Even a young man like me is being forced to marry. You have to be careful. If you want to pick someone you like, like He Zongwei, who comes to the manor every day. I kicked him out with three strokes of the broom. But what if I get married to a good-for-nothing?"
He said very seriously, "If you're going to marry, then you have to pick someone yourself. If you're going to marry someone you like, then you have to make your move early, before the marriage is set. Setting up a marriage is too risky. After all, not everyone in this world is as lucky as me and Wan 'er. If it's an order from my parents, I have enough confidence that I can handle it. But what if … what if it's an edict from the palace? Given the position of the Fan family, we have to guard against this. "
Hearing her brother's words, Fan Ruoruo first felt a bit embarrassed. When she heard him boast about himself, she felt it was funny. It was only when she heard the words "palace" that she truly felt a bit worried. How could she not know that in an official's family, at her age, they would indeed be engaged. It was just that, spending every day with her brother, looking at the men of the world made her feel bored. How could she find the one she liked?
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